How to Get A Six Pack Fast– 7 Simple Steps & Best Ab Exercises

For many, the idea of having ripped abs is the pinnacle and symbol of true fitness. First, we have to understand that everyone has abdominal muscles already. There is just a layer of fat covering them, or they are not quite big enough – yet. Here in 7 simple steps, we have covered the best way how to get a six pack fast, followed by the best ab exercises:

Step 1 – Stop your bloating

Bloating is common problem for many of us. Here are a few reasons why your six pack may not be showing through, and how to prevent temporary abdominal distension:

• Eating the wrong type of foods

Most processed and unhealthy foods can cause bloating. Some obvious ones to stay away from are carbonated drinks, sugar free gum ( the sugar alcohols cause bloating) and sugar-free desserts. “Artifical sweeteners such as sorbitol and aspartame induce bloating because they can not be digested” says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, a spokesman for The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The lactose in dairy can cause bloating as well due to it’s malabsorption. Some healthy foods which cause this problem with abdominal discomfort and excess gas are cabbage and broccoli due to the non-digestible carbohydrates they contain. If you want to continue eating these foods and don’t want to reduce your intake, a supplement called Beano® exists which can help to break down and digest the otherwise non-digestible carbs, leaving nothing for the bacteria to feast on.

• Not eating enough fiber

Not enough fiber in the diet can contribute towards constipation and a build up of gas, which is a nasty recipe for bloating that can cause us to look a little bit pregnant. Try to eat at least 25 grams a day (women) or 38 grams a day (men) from a mixture of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds or superfoods such as aduna moringa, which has a large proportion of fibre and vitamins as explained in our article about the benefits of moringa powder.

• Eating while on the move / too fast

Eating while on the move is a big problem in modern society, where everyone is constantly rushing around. Take time to sit down when you’re eating and remember to chew your food properly. This will prevent excess gas being swallowed and allow for less work to be done in the stomach if you chew your food right down. If you need to drink on the move, use a straw to help with keeping as little excess gas in your stomach as possible.

• Allergies

Consult a doctor if you believe that you may have an allergy such as lactose or wheat intolerance. This could be the reason why you are seeing no results on the six pack front, even with a strict fitness and nutrition regime. A simple breath test from your doctor will let you know if you need to make any alterations to your diet.

Step 2 – body fat percentage; nutrition, exercise, sleep

This is one of the most important factors in determining how to get a six pack fast. Men and women both have different body fat percentages where the six pack usually comes through. For men, the percentage is between 6-10% whereas women are ‘ripped’ at around 12% body fat, but this all depends on where our fat stores are located on our bodies. Some lucky people can have a six pack at higher fat percentages, whereas the opposite is true as well for the less fortunate.

The main factors which can contribute to helping you to get the desired body fat percentage is fitness strategy, nutrition and quality/quantity of sleep.

The best and most simple tip for lowering body fat percentage is to eat slightly less than your calorie expenditure each day, whilst making sure that you sleep enough each night. You can calculate how many calories you need per day (and macros) via many websites online. Try to get all of your vitamins, one way is to eat superfoods like camu camu which are very rich in nutrients.

Step 3 – Avoid over-training / too many reps / too light

Many people believe that we can train our stomach every day. Doing this will just leave you frustrated with a lack of results because our abdominals need time to rest and recover just like any other muscles in our body. Growth happens outside of the gym, therefore, by not allowing your muscles the time to recover, it will be very inefficient in terms of muscle growth.

This is why training your core for too long in one period of time can be counter-productive. If you see ‘the best ab exercises’ below these steps on how to get a six pack fast, you will see why you only need a small amount of time to train your abdominals (intensely).

Another common mistake people make when trying to get a six pack is doing way too many reps. When the exercise gets too easy, you should increase the resistance and add some weight to your exercises.

Step 4 – Right type of cardio

As mentioned in our HIIT article, the most efficient way to shed the pounds is by doing High Intensity Interval Training. Think of a car; if you drive it at 50 mph consistently, the fuel reserves do not get drained and it is an efficient ride. In contrast, if you are going from 70 mph to 20mph, then back up to 70 repeatedly, the fuel consumption will be very inefficient, leading to fuel drainage at an accelerated pace. This is like our bodies when we work out, but the aim of the game here is to burn as much ‘fuel’ as possible. There are many perks of training in this way, including:

More fun

Conventional cardio strategies like running on the treadmill can be one of the boring things known to man, alongside watching paint dry and waiting to skip a YouTube advertisement. With HIIT, you have the chance to diversify your range of movements and there is very little chance you can feel bored with the high intensity involved.

More time efficient

Because of the high intensity of this regime, the workout is completed in just a fraction of the time. It has been found that 15 minutes of HIIT is equivalent to 30 minutes of jogging. For those with restricted time to work out in your busy schedules, this gives you the chance to squeeze in a quick session, removing any excuses that you may keep telling yourself.

“Be stronger than your strongest excuse”

Increase in strength and lean muscle mass

Due to the large, challenging, full range of movements required for this activity, there is potential to grow muscle and lose weight at the same time, allowing for lean muscle definition to come through, which is a perfect recipe for a well defined six pack.

‘The Afterburn Effect’ – Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC)

HIIT allows your metabolism to stay higher than normal for up to 24 hours after your workout, allowing for a significantly higher calorie expenditure. Training at a heightened intensity helps you to burn carbs during workout, and burn fat stores afterwards. [‘This afterburn effect’ takes place because] “our body has to work twice as hard post-workout to replenish oxygen stores” [which we become temporarily deficient in during our workout], says Tom Crisp, consultant sports physician at the Barbican BUPA centre, London.

Another one of my favourite exercises for weight loss and muscle definition is jump rope. In our article on the benefits of skipping, we outline why it is so effective and why skipping is the cornerstone of many professional athletes’ training regimes. An hour of skipping can burn between 600-1000 calories an hour, depending on intensity, weight and fitness level. This activity requires multiple muscles all over the body from your arms (tricep, forearms and biceps), legs (predominantly calves, but also quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes), chest, back and core. A massive advantage of skipping is that the ‘afterburn effect‘ is stimulated, allowing for an increased metabolism after the workout to burn more calories.

Step 5 – Incorporate compound exercises

To get the most bang for your buck, compound exercises are a great way to burn calories and to increase muscle growth all over your body. A compound exercise is defined as any movement which targets multiple muscle groups at once. Fortunately, exercises such as squats also target the core, as well as the thigs, hips, buttocks, quadriceps (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermidius and rectus femoris) and hamstrings. An added perk of squatting is that it can strengthen the bones and ligaments.

There are people I train with who have an extremely ripped physique, but never do isolation exercises. It is possible to get your six pack showing with just compound movements, without even having to directly exercise your core with isolated movements such as leg raises (although a combination of the two can reap the best results).

Step 6 – Consistency

“A river cuts through rock not because of its power, but because of its perseverance”

The secret to building muscle, losing weight, getting stronger and getting ripped abs is consistency. If you allow your daily habits to be positive and consistent, the shredded physique is inevitable; it’s just a matter of when. The only factor in determining how quick you get it is how hard you work for it.

Write down daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals and yearly goals. When your plan is written down on paper, it can be easier to stick to, helping to prevent unhealthy and lazy relapses.

When you achieve certain milestones and you see it working, it can allow you to celebrate the small victories and show you that it is possible. It is a challenging path, therefore doing this can make it feel worthwhile and a bit easier.

Step 7 – Drinking enough water

Water is so important for any health-related goal you are going for. As 60% of our bodies are made up of water and our muscles are around 79% water, you will not be surprised to know that increasing your daily intake is linked to many health benefits, such as muscle growth, detoxification and weight-loss. If you want to know how to get a six pack faster and maintain it, this is one of the most overlooked factors. More water in your diet helps with:

• Weight loss

One study found that drinking 500ml of water increased metabolism by 30%. If you add green tea to your detoxification regime as well, the caffeine actually works to speed up your metabolism, which is the reason why it is the main ingredient in “fat-burner pills”. The reason why green tea is much healthier than these or than a cup of coffee is because of minute amount of caffeine in each cup of green tea (24-40mg) which is still enough to have a mild effect. It also contains an abundance of anti-oxidants called catechins.

• Muscle growth

During weight training, water is transported into the muscle cells (interstitial space) which gives you that pumped look and feeling. A combination of excessive sweating and lack of fluid intake can draw the water from the muscles, back into the blood. Not a great idea if you want the appearance of ripped abs! It can also speed up the muscle breakdown process and slow down muscle growth.

Weight-loss and muscle growth; by simply adding more water to your diet (and maybe green tea as well), it can contribute towards your goals for having that shredded physique and a well-sculpted six pack, all year round.

Best ab exercises

Leg raises

Lay on your back and keep your arms wide, grasping the floor with spiderman fingers either side of you (for balance, not for fun). Keep your legs straight and raise them until they are vertical. Lower them slowly, but don’t allow them to touch the floor as we do not want to relieve the strain from the abs before the next rep. Perform these between 20-30 times before transitioning into the next exercise.

Flutter kick

Keep your legs straight and lay on your back, keeping arms by your sides. Raise your feet around 8 inches off the floor, then kick your feet up and down in a scissor-like movement with toes pointed. Proceed to do these for 30 seconds before changing the exercise.

Rotation with medicine ball

Sit on the floor and hold a medicine ball in front of you. Keep your knees bent and together, leaning back slightly, with your feet flat on the floor (or keep them lifted while performing the movement). Proceed to touch the medicine ball on the floor either side of you, intensely twisting from side to side allowing your head to turn in the direction where you are touching, keeping your core tight as you move. Experiment with the weight of the medicine ball; don’t use a ball which is too light or too heavy. Try to aim between 15-30 on each side depending on the weight of the ball and fitness level.

V-ups

keep your arms and legs extended straight whilst laying on your back. Raise them all simultaneously, with the aim of touching your toes with your fingers. Repeat 15-30 times depending on fitness level before moving on.

Toe touches

Similar to the V-up, but the only difference is that you keep your legs raised straight and vertical in the air. Proceed to lift your arms to try and touch your toes, keeping the core tight. Repeat 20-30 times before moving on to the next exercise.

Burpees

Squat down with your hands placed on the floor in front of you. Jump your feet backwards so you’re in a plank position, whilst in this position you have the option to do a push up (if you do the push-up, make sure to keep good form!). From the plank position, you then jump your feet forwards again towards your hands. From here, do a jump of epic proportions into the air keeping your arms over-head during the movement. Do these between 15-30 times.

Standard plank

Get into a press up position, keeping your arms shoulder-width apart and your heels parallel to your toes. Keep your core tight and do not allow your bum to drop down (this will cause excessive strain on your lower back) and don’t push your bum upwards. To have good form, you should be parallel to the floor. Another variation of the standard plank is to rest on your forearms, with your hands clasped together. Hold this stance for between 30 seconds and 90 seconds. For an easier alternative for those of a low fitness level, rest on your knees as opposed to your toes.

I tend to do 3-5 of these exercises with no break in between. After the set is complete, I give myself a 30 second break before repeating the sequence 2-4 more times.

I usually start with leg raises or another exercise which targets the lower abdominals first because they are the weakest part of your core. This is the key to building them lower abs where people find it most hardest to acquire.

Note: All information is posted for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Seeing how you can fit such an intense workout into such a small time window, that is all you need to do for ab day. Spending hour after hour on exercising the abdominals is a sure fire way to prevent your six pack from gleaming through. I hope this article has shown you how to get a six pack fast and in the simplest way possible, and the best ab exercises to help you towards your goal.

If you have any queries or anything to add, then please comment below!